We Can Work It Out
by Sarmoti
Summary: Set after TOW The Jam. A mix up in paperwork leads to an unlikely pair having a baby. Joey/Monica, Ross/Rachel
1. Taking Chances

_**We Can Work It Out**_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters in this story. I didn't write the lyrics used at the start of the chapter. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**Summary:** Set after TOW The Jam. A mix up in paperwork leads to an unlikely pair having a baby.

**Chapter 1 – Taking Chances**

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_But what do you say to taking chances,  
What do you say to jumping off the edge?  
Never knowing if there's solid ground below  
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,  
What do you say,  
What do you say?_

Taking Chances by Celine Dion

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"Where are you going?" Joey asked, walking in the kitchen and setting down a jam jar on the table.

"To the bank," Monica replied with a grin.

"Sperm or regular?" Joey asked, smirking slightly, knowing, like the rest of the gang, that this wasn't a good idea.

"Sperm," she replied.

"So you're really doing this, huh?" Joey asked her.

"Oh yeah, picked a guy, 37135," Monica replied.

"Sounds nice," Joey said.

"Yep. Blonde hair, green eyes," Monica read from the sheet. She stopped and looked up. "I just wish you guys could understand and support me."

Joey sighed. She seemed so determined and yet he could see she was scared too. She was right. Nobody had supported her on this decision. They all thought it was a horrible idea and figured she would give up on it herself. "I am going to come with you," he said suddenly.

Monica looked up quickly. "What?"

Joey reached down and picked up his own donor sheet. "I want to have this bad boy updated. Women will be begging for a unit of Tribianni once I add Dr. Drake Remora to this sheet."

"Ok," Monica said, grateful to not be doing this alone, even if it was Joey instead of Rachel or Phoebe going with her. "Let's go."

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Monica was slightly sick to her stomach as she followed Joey into the clinic. The entire cab ride over she had fought an internal battle with herself as she thought about if this was a good idea. She knew it wasn't the traditional way to have a family, but she wanted a baby more than anything in this world and she didn't want to wait around for the perfect guy. What if he never showed up? What if he showed up to late? She wanted to take this chance. She didn't know how it would end up but she knew she wanted to do it.

She wouldn't be raising this baby alone. Her friends would be there for her, even if they didn't understand it right now. Joey proved that by coming with her today. She knew he was uncomfortable with all this but he was trying to support her anyways.

"Can I help you?" The receptionist asked, breaking Monica from her thoughts.

"Yes. My name is Monica Geller. I have an appointment. I've made my selection," Monica said, handing the donor sheet over to her.

"Very well," the receptionist replied. "If you want to have a seat someone will be out for you shortly."

"I wanted to update my resume," Joey said, shoving the piece of paper through the glass window. I wrote all the changes down there. See, I'm Dr. Drake Remora."

"Um.. Ok," the confused girl said, taking his donor sheet and placing it on top of Monica's file.

A moment later the nurse came out. "Ms. Geller, are you ready?"

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"Well?" Rachel asked as soon as Monica walked in the apartment.

"I did it," Monica replied, setting her purse down. "I should know if it worked in two weeks."

"I can't believe you went through with this," Ross said, with a tone in this voice that could have been shock or disapproval, Monica couldn't figure out which so she decided to pretend it wasn't there. She smiled as she sat down on the couch. She could be pregnant right now.

"Oh sweetie," Rachel said, sitting down beside Monica and wrapping her arm around her. "I am sorry I didn't go with you. I guess I didn't realize how much this really meant to you. I thought this was like the jam and you would never go through with it."

Monica hugged her back. "It's okay. Really. I know this isn't the most traditional way to do this but I want this more than anything in the world. And I know I can do this."

"I know you can do this too" Rachel replied. "Listen, I want to go with you for your follow up."

"Really?" Monica asked.

"Of course! I want to be the first to know if I'm going to be an Aunt!" Rachel exclaimed with a smile.

"Thank you," Monica said, resting her head on Rachel's shoulder. "I was afraid I would have to take Joey again. I came out when it was over and he was lying across four waiting room chairs snoring away."

"Well?" Phoebe said as soon as she walked through the door, followed by Chandler.

"I did it," Monica said, looking over her shoulder at the two of them.

"Wow!" Phoebe said with a smile.

"I um, I have to go. I forgot something…" Chandler trailed off, turning and leaving the apartment quickly.

"What was that about?" Ross mumbled as they watched him leave.

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_Two Weeks Later_

"How do you feel?" Rachel whispered, squeezing Monica's hand.

"Nervous," Monica replied. She wasn't lying. She was nervous and scared to death. Time felt like it was crawling while she waited for them to call her name.

"Monica Geller," a nurse finally called out.

Monica and Rachel stood up and followed the nurse back to the little room.

"Ok Monica, are you ready to see if you are going to be a mommy?" the nurse asked.

"Yes!" Monica said with a grin, squeezing Rachel's hand.

"Now remember, a lot of times the insemination doesn't work on the first attempt. We can try the process again in two months. It's important that you don't let yourself get discouraged"

Monica was too nervous to speak and settled for nodding as she took the small cup the nurse handed her.

"The restroom is through the second door. Collect a urine sample and Dr. McCartney will be with you in just a few moments," the nurse directed.

The girls only waited what seemed like hours but were only a few moments before a tall female walked into the room. "Hello, I'm Dr. Holly McCartney. You must be Monica," she said, shaking Monica's hand, "And this is?"

"My friend, Rachel," Monica said.

"Hello Rachel," Dr. McCartney replied, shaking her hand as well. "Ok Monica. Why don't you lay back while I do a quick exam? The results came back positive on your urine sample."

Monica stared at the Doctor for a moment, not sure she heard her correctly. "I …. I am ..?"

Dr. McCartney smiled. "The urine sample came back positive. I am going to do an exam real quick just to confirm everything."

Monica squeezed Rachel's hand through the entire exam, to nervous to breath. As soon as the Doctor was complete she sat up. "Well?"

"Congratulations Monica, you are pregnant," Dr. McCartney said with a grin.

Both girls irrupted in screams, hugging and crying. Once they calmed down Dr. McCartney stood up. "I want to see you again in one month just to make sure everything is looking good," she said as she opened up Monica's chart.

"You made a good donor selection Monica. An Italian-American's coloring will combine wonderfully with your own dark hair. You are going to have a beautiful baby."

Monica turned around quickly. "Italian-American? What? I picked a blonde astronaut!"

Dr. McCartney frowned, looking over the chart again. "This doesn't say anything about an astronaut," she replied, flipping through the pages. "Italian-American, actor, large family," the doctor read off. "Monica, this is the one you signed for."

Monica reached up with shaking hand and took the file from Dr. McCartney. There at the bottom of Joey's donor sheet was Monica's signature. She looked up at Rachel in numb shock. "I was so excited I didn't double check…. I just assumed… I….."

"Oh my god," Rachel whispered, her hand flying up to her mouth. "You are having Joey's baby!"


	2. Secret

_**We Can Work It Out**_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters in this story. I didn't write the lyrics used at the start of the chapter. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**Summary:** Set after TOW The Jam. A mix up in paperwork leads to an unlikely pair having a baby.

**Chapter 2 - Secret**

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_Got a secret,  
Can you keep it?  
Swear this one you'll save.  
Better lock it in your pocket,  
Taking this one to the grave.  
If I show you then I know you  
Won't tell what I said._

Secret – The Pierces

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"What are you going to do?" Rachel asked, shutting the door behind her as she followed Monica into the apartment.

"About what?" Monica replied, not turning around. She couldn't meet Rachel's gaze. She knew if she did she would fall apart, and she couldn't fall apart. Not right now.

"About what?!" Rachel exclaimed, "Monica, you are having Joey's baby. Joey is the father. What are you going to do?"

"Nothing Rachel. I'm not going to do anything," Monica snapped back. "What can I do?"

"When are you going to tell him?"

Monica sat down at the kitchen table slowly, holding her head in her hands. She had no idea what to do. This wasn't at all what she had planned when she decided to do this. "I'm not."

"What? You have to! Joey has the right to know he's going to be dad." Rachel replied, taking a bottle of water out of the fridge and turning around to face Monica.

"He's not going to be a dad Rachel. He was the sperm donor, that's all."

"That's not all and you know it!" Rachel cried out. "Are you going to let Joey live across the hall from his own child and never tell him? It isn't right Monica."

Monica slammed her hands down on the table in frustration. "Joey donated his sperm knowing that someone may use it to have a child. When he went in there he knew he may father a child he would never know about! Millions of men do it ever year. Joey donated sperm and I happened to use it. "

"That may be true, but he didn't know he was going to father a child that would grow up right in front of his eyes. A child that he would see and talk to and hold but never know was his," Rachel argued.

"Do you see Joey wanting to be a father Rachel? Do you see him wanting to change diapers and rock a screaming baby? How will he fit feeding time in between his girlfriends? It's better for both of us if he never knows and I try my hardest to forget it. I am having a baby, what I have wanted more than anything in this world. Right now I wouldn't care if Bill Clinton was the father," Monica said, reaching out and taking Rachel's hands. "Please, just forget about it. Promise me you won't tell Ross or anyone else Rachel, please?"

Rachel looked into her best friends eyes and saw the joy, confusion and fear in her eyes. "Okay. I won't say anything. I suppose your right. There is a difference between being a sperm donor and being a father."

"Thank you," Monica said, letting Rachel pull her into a hug.

"You are having a baby. You are going to be a mommy!" Rachel exclaimed, smiling for the first time since Dr. McCartney pulled out the donor information sheet.

"I know!" Monica exclaimed, smiling as she put her hand to her stomach. "Can you believe it?"

"I have to leave; I'm going to be late for work. Are you going to be okay?" Rachel asked, looking at Monica with concern in her eyes.

"I am fine. I'm going to go lay down for a little bit. I think I'm going to tell everyone over dinner tonight," Monica said, smiling again.

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Monica sighed and collapsed onto the couch as soon as Rachel left. She let the tears that had been about to spill over since she left the clinic roll down her cheeks. What was she going to do? She was pregnant; she was going to have a baby. She was going to have the one thing she wanted most in this world. The only problem was that she couldn't forget it was Joey's baby and she wasn't sure she would ever be able to forget, no matter what she told Rachel.

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"Okay now that we are all well fed, I believe Monica has an announcement to make," Rachel said, standing up and tapping her glass after they had all finished eating.

Monica smiled at Rachel before standing up and moving away from the table. "I went back to the clinic today. And, well…. I'm…. I'm pregnant!"

"Monica! That's wonderful!" Phoebe cried out, hugging her friend as the room erupted in noise.

"Congratulations," Chandler said quietly, giving her an awkward hug. "I'm happy for you."

"Thank you!" Monica said, smiling up at him.

"Mon! That's great. And I was there when the baby was made! "Joey exclaimed, reaching to hug Monica.

"Yeah Joe," Monica said weakly, hugging him back. Only Rachel seemed to notice that her smile had faded slightly.

Monica turned to face her brother. "Well?"

"I… I don't know what to say Monica. You are having a baby? Really? I am going to be an Uncle?" Ross said softly.

"Yes…" Monica replied.

Ross quickly crossed the room and hugged her. "I don't agree with how you do decided to do this, but I love you and if you are happy than I am happy for you. Besides, I get to be an Uncle now!"

"Hey…. Chandler and I get to be Uncles too, right Monica?" Joey exclaimed.

"Of course," Monica replied. "This baby is going to have the best set of Aunts and Uncles he or she could ever need."

"Oh, can you name her Phoebe?" Phoebe exclaimed with a grin.

"Her? What if it's a boy Monica, will you name him Joseph Junior?" Joey asked.

"Joe, it would only be Joseph Junior if it was your son. Monica's baby would just be Joseph," Chandler said, pinching his nose.

"Oh right," Joey said with a giggle. "What do you say Monica, little baby Joey?"

"Uh… I'll think about it," Monica said weakly.

"Monica, are you all right? You look pale." Ross said, taking her arm and leading her to a chair.

"I'm all right. I'm just tired. It's been a long day," Monica replied, ignoring Rachel's gaze.

"We should all get going. You need to make sure you get plenty of rest. And lots of water. And vitamins. Hey, why don't I have Carol call you? She could give you all kinds of advice." Ross said, grabbing a blanket off the back of the couch and wrapping it around her shoulders.

"That would be great. Thank you Ross, for everything," Monica said, kissing his cheek.

"Ross, I think I'm going to stay here with Monica tonight," Rachel said.

"No Rachel, I'm ok, go with Ross. I'm just going to go to sleep," Monica said quickly.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather stay here and talk?" Rachel said, staring at her friend.

"Nope, I'm just going to read a book and go to bed," Monica said.

"Well call me if you need me," Rachel replied, hugging her again.

"We should get going to," Chandler said, moving towards the door. "Congratulations again Monica," he called over his shoulder.

"Thank you, all of you." Monica said, smiling.

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Monica curled up on the couch with a sigh. Her apartment seemed so big when no one else was there. It was just her and her baby she thought to herself as she put her arms around her still flat stomach. Just her and her baby.


	3. At Your Side

_**We Can Work It Out**_

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the characters in this story. I didn't write the lyrics used at the start of the chapter. This is for entertainment purposes only.

**Summary:** Set after TOW The Jam. A mix up in paperwork leads to an unlikely pair having a baby.

**Note**: I was afraid Joey was a little OCC in this chapter, but I re-watched the season eight episodes when Rachel was pregnant, and I believe this is how he would behave. I hope everyone is enjoying!

**Chapter 3 – At Your Side**

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_When the daylight's gone and you're on your own  
And you need a friend just to be around  
I will comfort you, I will take your hand  
And I'll pull you through, I will understand_

I'll be at your side, there's no need to worry  
Together we'll survive through the haste and hurry  
I'll be at your side  
If you feel like you're alone, and you've nowhere to turn  
I'll be at your side

At Your Side – The Corrs

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_2 Months Later_

"I can't believe this is our last night together," Monica said, laying her head on Rachel's shoulder as they curled up together on the couch.

"I know. I thought we would always live together, you know?" Rachel replied, wrapping her arm around her best friend. "But in seven months that little baby is going to need a place to sleep. And Ross was getting a little jealous that I wanted to live with his sister over him"

"I'm going to miss you," Monica said. "It's going to be weird here alone."

Monica looked into Rachel's empty room as she spoke. Knowing the baby was going to need a place to sleep, Ross had asked Rachel to move in with him. They had finished moving her things to his apartment just this morning and the girls had decided to spend their last night together watching romantic movies and eating too much popcorn.

"Sweetie, you won't be alone. You know Ross and I will still be here everyday. Phoebe practically lives here and Chandler and Joey are just across the hall," Rachel said, suddenly sitting up. "Monica, speaking of Joey…"

"No Rachel," Monica interrupted. "I don't want to talk about it tonight. Not on our last night together, please?"

"Just promise me you will think about telling him Monica. He's so excited about this baby already, he should know it's his biological child," Rachel pushed.

"What color should I paint the baby's room?" Monica asked, changing the subject.

Rachel sighed as she studied her best friend. Monica could be so stubborn when she wanted to be. Rachel understood Monica was terrified, but keeping this from Joey was wrong. But Rachel also knew her best friend needed this last night of fun before everything changed, so she decided to play along for now. She was going to push Monica to be honest with Joey though. "How about yellow?"

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Monica stared at the toast on her plate, wishing her stomach would stop rolling long enough so she could take a bite. Morning sickness had quickly become her least favorite part of being pregnant.

The apartment was oddly quiet, which she discovered she didn't like. The tears she had been holding at bay since Rachel said goodbye this morning threatened to spill over, she was going to miss so many things about living with her best friend.

"Hey Monica, what's for breakfast? I'm starving," Joey asked, walking into the apartment and stopping when he saw her face, "What's wrong?"

Monica looked up him. "Rachel left about an hour ago," she said quietly.

"Oh, right," Joey said quietly. He hated seeing any of his friends upset, and Monica looked so sad and helpless sitting there. "Hey, why don't we go to a movie?" he suggested.

Monica looked up in time to see Joey pull the bacon out of the refrigerator.

"Ohhhhh," she moaned, leaping up and running for the bathroom. 'Apparently the baby doesn't like bacon' Monica thought to herself before her stomach clinched and she was sick.

When the nausea finally subsided Monica realized that someone was holding her hair back and rubbing her shoulder. She looked up to see Joey kneeling beside her on the bathroom floor.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, not looking at all repulsed by what just happened.

"I…I'm thirsty," she muttered, reaching up to flush.

"Ok," he said, releasing her hair to reach up and fill a paper cup with water. "Here, slip slowly," he said, handing it to her.

Monica sat back and sipped the water. She was surprised when Joey moved to sit beside her instead of fleeing the room. "Thanks," she finally said.

"No problem. I remember when Tina's morning sickness was so bad she would spend all day on the bathroom floor," Joey said. "And when Dina was pregnant with the twins she would get sick every time she got in a car."

"Having all sisters you've probably been around a lot of pregnant women, haven't you?" Monica said with a small smile.

"Yeah. And at least now I know not to eat bacon around you," Joey said.

"Don't even say that word," Monica replied with a moan, holding her stomach. "Baby really hates it."

Joey reached over and placed his hand on Monica's stomach. "Well Joey will just have to teach this little guy the finer points of eating pork once he's born."

"What if it's a she?" Monica asked, looking down at Joey's hand on her stomach.

"Girls eat pork too!" Joey exclaimed.

"Yeah…" Monica muttered, still staring at his hand.

"Okay now?" Joey asked gently, noticing the small tremble in her voice.

Monica nodded, knowing if she spoke she would start to cry. What a mess this had become. Joey had no idea that his hand was resting on _his _baby, and she could never tell him. If it was this hard now, what was she going to do the first time Joey picked up the baby? Could she watch and not say anything? Could Rachel?

She didn't realize she had started to cry until she heard her own sniffles.

"Oh Monica," Joey whispered, gathering her into his arms and hugging her. "It's all going to be okay. The morning sickness will go away. And I know you miss Rachel, but we are all still here. You aren't alone. Anything you need, anything at all, you let me know. Even if all you want is ice-cream at two in the morning, I'll go get it."

"Hello! Is anyone home?" Phoebe called from the kitchen.

Monica pulled away from Joey and stood up, wiping tears from her face. "In the bathroom!" she called back to Phoebe, before turning to look at Joey. "Thank you," she said softly.

Joey leaned over and kissed her forehead. "How about that movie?"

"Oh yay! A movie!" Phoebe exclaimed, walking on the bathroom. "Which one are we going to see?"


End file.
